For many, the 21st century Mariinsky hits the high note in perfect pitch

Opera is likely to predominate at the new theater, and ballet will continue to be housed at the 19th century building. Source: Pauline Tillmann

A modernist theater opens its doors to the adoring crowds and local skeptics while director Gergiev basks in the glow of accomplishment.

The new Mariinsky Theatre in St.
Petersburg, called the Mariinsky II, has been a decade
in the making and dogged by false starts and controversy. The distinctive glass
and limestone building opened in May with a lavish gala attended by a former
resident, President Vladimir Putin.

The $700-million brainchild of famed artistic director and conductor
Valery Gergiev, the Mariinsky II is situated directly across from the original
1860 building, on the other side of the Kryukov canal and connected by a
pedestrian bridge.

The new theater sits in the heart of historic St. Petersburg and its
modernist structure is accentuated by the auditorium’s enveloping wall of
amber-colored onyx. The mineral, shipped in from Italy,
Iran, Macedonia and Turkey, serves as a beacon to the
music-loving public.

The 2,000 seat concert hall is a signature work designed by Canadian
architect Jack Diamond, who placed great emphasis on maximizing the acoustic
experience and creating a sense of intimacy.

The hall, for instance, has only
three balconies instead of the standard four or five. In combination with the
original theater, and a concert hall finished in 2006, it creates what even The
New York Times called a “St. Petersburg arts complex
with the scope and versatility of Lincoln
Center.”

The theater began as an attempt to create a 21st-century
architectural splash in Russia’s
most distinguished city. A decade ago, the Californian architectural firm of
Eric Owen Moss won the commission to build Mariinsky II, but the project was
suspended after financing problems arose.

French architect Dominique Perrault
was subsequently commissioned, and envisioned the theater as a massive golden
egg.

Gergiev balked at the whimsical notion. “At some point I just
felt that we did not need someone trying to build an opera, rather someone who
knows how it’s done,” he said.

The commission next fell to a Canadian. Jack Diamond had designed the
Symphony Hall in Montreal and the Four Seasons
Center for the Performing Arts in Toronto. Gergiev
visited both and was particularly impressed by the acoustics.

The new theater can stage three performances daily and will have much
less downtime between major productions. It is all part of Gergiev’s plans to
make St. Petersburg a major international center for the arts, and a draw for
traveling groups from major foreign theaters. Even before the Mariinsky II,
many critics stated that the Mariinsky had already eclipsed the Bolshoi in
terms of vision.

The new theater sits in the heart of historic St Petersburg, some critics have compared the theater to a shopping mall
or a hotel. Source: Pauline Tillmann

However for some within the St.
Petersburg arts community, the new building stands in
stark and jarring contrast to much of the old cityscape. Mikhail Piotrovsky,
the director of the Hermitage museum, said the construction was a “mistake in
urban development.” Other critics have compared the theater to a shopping mall
or a hotel.

Diamond said that ultimately, the acoustics will convince the naysayers.
“Once residents come and experience a performance, then they can pass
judgment.”

Opera is likely to predominate at the new theater, and ballet will
continue to be housed at the 19th century building.

At the gala
performance, there was an array of talent and samples from the Mariinsky’s rich
history and current roster, including a recreation of
Nijinsky’s iconic and lyrical “Rite of Spring.” Placido Domingo
performed “Winterstürme” from Wagner’s Siegmund.
Opera star Anna Netrebko offered a preview of an upcoming performance of
Verdi’s Lady Macbeth.

The gala coincided with Gergiev’s 60th birthday party,
and his patron led the celebration. "A man endowed with truly unending
creative energy, brilliant, inimitable Maestro,” Putin said in a birthday
telegram, adding that the conductor is "one of the outstanding musicians
of our time."